StateDeptcable1978-166969

Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014

Message Text

LIMITED OFFICIAL USE

PAGE 01 IERUSA 01843 051510Z
ACTION NEA- 10

INFO OCT-01 ISO-OO CIAE-00 DODE-OO PM-05 H-01 INR-10
L-03 NSAE-00 NSC-05 PA-01 SP-02 SS-15 ICA-11
OMB-01 SAA-02 SSM-03 HA-05 /075 W

021698 060145Z/21

R 051340Z IUL 78
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1271
INFO AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
AMEMBASSY AMMAN

LIMITED OFFICIAL USE JERUSALEM 1843

E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: PINT, IS, JO

SUBJECT: ISRAELI DISMISSAL OF BEIT JALA MAYOR

1 . BEIT JALA MAYOR BISHARA DAOUD AND THREE MUNICIPAL
COUNCILMEN HAVE BEEN DISMISSED FROM THEIR FUNCTIONS
BY THE MILITARY GOVERNOR AS A RESULT OF A RECENT
CONVICTION BY AN ISRARELI MILITARY TRIBUNAL. DAOUD
HAD BEEN SENTENCED BY THE COURT TO SERVE SIX MONTHS
FOR ATTACKING POLICEMEN AND THE THREE COUNCILMEN

HAD RECEIVED THREE-MONTH SENTENCES FOR THE SAME OFFENSE.

2. THE ACTION BY THE MILITARY AUTHORITIES LATE

ON JULY 3 IN DISMISSING THE FOUR CAME AS A SURPRISE BECAUSE
EARLIER THAT SAME DAY THEY HAD BEEN INFOMRED THAT THEIR
SENTENCES HAD BEEN SUSPENDED AND THEY WOULD NOT HAVE
TO ACTUALLY SERVE THE SENTENCES. ACCORDING TO
JULY 3 JERUSALEM POST. THE ISRAELI DECISION WAS TAKEN
AFTER CONSULTATION INVOLVING THE PRIME MINISTER AS WELL AS
DEFMIN WEIZMAN AND THE MILITARY GOVERNOR BEL ELEIZER.

3. IN DISCUSSION WITH SEVERAL WEST BANK PERSONALITIES
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(HIKMAT AL-MASRI, FAHD QAWASIMA, AND AZIZ SHEHADEH) AT THE
CONGEN JULY 4 RECEPTION, WE UNDERSTAND THAT SEVERAL WEST
BANK MAYORS CAUCUSED ON JULY 4 TO CONSIDER WHAT
COULD BE DONE TO PREVENT THE MAYOR'S DISMISSAL FROM OFFICE.
SHEHADEH SAYS THAT IT HAS BEEN DECIDED TO APPEAL
THE DECISION TO ASK THE MILGOV TO SHOW CAUSE WHY THE
CONVICTION SHOULD RESULT IN DISMISSAL FROM OFFICE. (JORDANIAN

Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014

Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014

LAW REQUIRES DISMISSAL FROM MUNICIPAL OFFICE OF AN
OFFICIAL CONVICTED OF A FELONY-THE QUESTION IS WHETHER
DAOUD'S OFFENSE WAS THAT SERIOUS ACCORDING TO
SHEHADEH.)

4. POLITICALLY THE DECISION IS SEEN BY MANY WEST BANKERS
AS RUNNING AGAINST THE RECENT SOFTER LINE ADOPTED BY
WEIZMAN AND THE NEW MILGOV TOWARD THE WEST BANK MAYORS.

DAOUD IS A BANTY ROOSTER-TYPE INDIVIDUAL AND HAS BEEN OUTSPOKENLY
CRITICAL OF THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION SINCE HIS ELECTION IN 1976

BUT HE IS NOT UNIQUE AMONG WEST BANK MAYORS IN THAT REGARD.

(IT WAS DAOUD WHO IN DON NEFF'S "TIME" PIECE APRIL 3 ON BEIT JALA
REPRESSION SAID "ISRAELIS BEHAVED LIKE BARBARIANS.")

"AL QUDS" HAS ALREADY COMMENTED EDITORIALLY
THAT ACTION AGAINST DAOUD IS DISTURBING REMINDER
OF ARBITRARY POWER WHICH ISRAELIS HOLD OVER ELECTED WEST BANK
OFFICIALS.

CONGEN HAS BRIEFED VISITNG MIKE PEAY (L/NEA) MORE
FULLY ON THIS CASE AND HE HAS HAD OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK
WITH SHEHADEH CONCERNING FACTS OF DAOUD'S OFFENSE AND
TRIAL.

5. COMMENT: WE ARE PU7.7T.RP BY ISRAELI ACTION IN REMOVING
DAOUD FROM OFFICE. WHEN CASE FIRST AROSE MONTHS AGO UNDER
PREVIOUS MILGOV HAGOEL. WEST BANKERS ALLEGED THAT ISRAELIS
WOULD USE CONVICTION AS MEANS OF REMOVING IRKSOME DAOUD
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FROM OFFICE. IN LIGHT OF RECENT HONEYMOON BETWEEN ISRAELIS
AND MAYORS, WE, AND MOST WEST BANKERS WE SPOKE TO, HAD NOT
EXPECTED THE NEW MILGOV TO TAKE SUCH ARBITRARY STEP. HOWEVER,

WE SUSPECT FINAL CHAPTER HAS NOT YET BEEN WRITTEN ON THIS
ISSUE AND WILL REPORT SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENTS.

KRUSE

LIMITED OFFICIAL USE

NNN

Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014

Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014

Message Attributes

Automatic Decaptioning: X

Capture Date: 01 jan 1994

Channel Indicators: n/a

Current Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Concepts: MAYOR, PERSONNEL SEPARATIONS

Control Number: n/a

Copy: SINGLE

Draft Date: 05 jul 1978

Decaption Date: 01 jan 1960

Decaption Note:

Disposition Action: RELEASED
Disposition Approved on Date:

Disposition Case Number: n/a
Disposition Comment: 25 YEAR REVIEW
Disposition Date: 20 Mar 2014
Disposition Event:

Disposition History: n/a
Disposition Reason:

Disposition Remarks:

Document Number: 1978JERUSA01843

Document Source: CORE

Document Unique ID: 00

Drafter: n/a

Enclosure: n/a

Executive Order: N/A

Errors: N/A

Expiration:

Film Number: D780276-0766
Format: TEL
From: JERUSALEM
Handling Restrictions: n/a
Image Path:

ISecure: 1

Legacy Key: Iink1978/newtext/t19780796/aaaadcnh.tel

Line Count: 100
Litigation Code IDs:

Litigation Codes:

Litigation History:

Locator: TEXT ON-LINE, ON MICROFILM
Message ID: ae11fc7a-c288-dd11-92da-001cc4696bcc
Office: ACTION NEA

Original Classification: LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
Original Handling Restrictions: n/a
Original Previous Classification: n/a
Original Previous Handling Restrictions: n/a
Page Count: 2

Previous Channel Indicators: n/a
Previous Classification: LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
Previous Handling Restrictions: n/a
Reference: n/a
Retention: 0

Review Action: RELEASED, APPROVED
Review Content Flags:

Review Date: 05 may 2005
Review Event:

Review Exemptions: n/a
Review Media Identifier:

Review Release Date: N/A
Review Release Event: n/a
Review Transfer Date:

Review Withdrawn Fields: n/a
SAS ID: 2117492
Secure: OPEN
Status: NATIVE

Subject: ISRAELI DISMISSAL OF BEIT JALA MAYOR
TAGS: PINT, IS, JO
To: STATE
Type: TE

vdkvgwkey: odbc://SAS/SAS.dbo.SAS_Docs/ae1 1fc7a-c288-dd1 1-92da-001cc4696bcc
Review Markings:

Sheryl P. Walter
Declassified/Released
US Department of State
EO Systematic Review
20 Mar 2014

Markings: Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014

Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014